The French coach earned a reputation for blooding exciting young French talent at Lyon while working to a strict transfer budget and it’s thought that these qualities greatly appeal to the current Newcastle owner.

Garde has yet to officially land the job however, and after seeing previous favourites like Fabricio Coloccini and Steve Bruce fall by the wayside, the Frenchman may not be over the finishing line just yet.

Former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood remains his closest rival with the Premier League-winning ex-Blackburn captain available at as little as 4/1.

Former Hamburg and Stuttgart manager Bruno Labbadia has also emerged as a contender for the role though the experienced Bundesliga veteran remains a distant 8/1.

Caretaker manager John Carver remains in the running at 6/1 though the temporary Toon boss’ prospects have hardly been helped by back-to-back defeats against Leicester City in the FA Cup and Chelsea in the Premier League.

Do you think Garde would be a good appointment at Newcastle?

Jack Beresford

Jack is a 27-year-old writer with experience in writing about sport in a range of guises. He’s something of a statto when it comes to soccer and has a passion for English football at all levels, as well as Serie A and the Bundesliga.